This invention relates generally to a process for preparing high purity alkyl diamines compounds.
Alkyl diamines are compounds that find use as intermediates in the synthesis of many end-use products, such as pharmaceuticals, dyes, cosmetics, and agricultural materials. Because many of these products are used, or even consumed, by humans, manufacturers of such products require that the alkyl diamine be of high purity. Known processes for making alkyl diamines, however, either do not provide the desired level of purity, or else are too cumbersome or elaborate to be cost effective on a commercial scale.
For instance, 2-methyl-1,2-diaminopropane (MDP) is a pharmaceutical intermediate that has a very stringent purity requirement. Typical processes for producing high-purity material are often very expensive due to the use of unique and costly reagents and are often not amenable to production in industrial facilities. Certain impurities are of particular concern to manufacturers of end-use pharmaceuticals. Of particular concern is the presence of a secondary-amine impurity conventionally formed during the reduction step (N-methyl-MDP) since this impurity is very difficult to remove by ordinary distillation processes.
The problem addressed by this invention is the provision of a commercially viable process for preparing high-purity alkyl diamines, such as MDP.